Hello everyone and welcome to a magical new review! For this one, I am going to be taking a look at the third installment in the Now You See Me series. The first one was a surprise hit back in 2013 and while not the most beloved critically, garnered enough fans for it to become a full on franchise. The second film did well on the whole, but made a lot less domestically ($65 million versus $117 million) which is probably why it took a while for this third film to get made (well that and trying to get all the cast members together in a way that fit their schedules, I’d imagine). But it has arrived nine years after the last installment and my feelings towards this series are as uncomplicated as you can get. I both movies are enjoyable capers that may not be as great as they could be, but they function well for what they are for the most part. I never really had any strong feelings about a third one getting made, so my expectations weren’t super high for this one, though I will admit to being interested in the various new faces they brought on for this. So, was this able to pull off a successful magic show? Let’s jump right in and see what the Four Horsemen have up their sleeves this time!
Taking place 10 years after the Horsemen’s last performance, the team of thief magicians finds themselves being impersonated by a trio of young illusionists, Charlie, Bosco, and June who use holograms and deepfakes to perform their own shows. After a successful show, the three are confronted by the real Daniel Atlas, who has come out of hiding in order to recruit them for a mission assigned to them by the secret society known as the Eye. The job: to retrieve the “Heart Diamond”, said to be the largest diamond on the planet, from the hands of a South African diamond company head known as Veronika Vanderberg, who also happens to be a money launderer for criminals. Now it is up to them as well as the other Horsemen who end up getting involved, to stop her before it is too late.
Considering how complicated the other two films felt as far as their plots go, trying to layer twist upon twist and present the proceedings in ways that aren’t as they seem, I was surprised to see how much more simpler this one is by comparison. Due to there being focus entirely on the Horsemen (whereas the other two films had more than one storyline to follow) this is a more straightforward heist film with a macguffin in play and our heroes going from point A to point B to accomplish their goal. There are twists and some neat surprises but for the most part, director, Ruben Fleischer and the various writers settle for a back to basics approach that works in this movie’s favor. This is a consistently enjoyable adventure that clips along at a solid pace where each scene always has something going on whether it is a breakneck heist, revelations being revealed, or characters just talking shop and it is a credit to the people involved that it manages to be quite entertaining through it all.
The main conflict is set up very efficiently, where we hit the ground running almost immediately and I did enjoy seeing where everything would end up going with the big final reveal working quite well, even if it wasn’t the most difficult to see coming. The banter is witty with plenty of playful sarcasm being thrown around with our characters often trying to roast one another to solid effect. Plus there is something enjoyable about seeing these two generations learn from one another as we see them at odds on whether this is worth risking their lives for. I’m not going to say this is all masterfully done, as the film never really rises above the quality standard set by the first two as it functions well as perfectly solid entertainment that lacks the extra amount of substance needed to make this go above and beyond. The script isn’t anything out of this world and I will admit that while the climax works in a vacuum and provides the fun reveals that this series has become known for, it does feel a bit like it is regurgitating elements of the climaxes of the first two films leading me to wonder if there are limits to the storytelling possibilities of this series. However it is never boring and at least manages to keep my attention throughout in the moment so I can’t say it didn’t get the job done.
Admittedly, as far as visual flair go, this one is definitely the lesser of the three in that regard with Fleischer not really doing anything to make this pop on that front. I felt Louis Leterrier and Jon M. Chu were able to make their respective entries look more cinematic with the cinematography just looking sharper and the colors just popping out more. This looks fine, but doesn’t have as much of a distinct feel. Still, Fleischer makes up for that with bringing the needed energy to a heist film like this, staging the various magic trick/stealing scenes in fun ways that keep one’s attention trying to figure out what is going on. I do think this has the best action of the franchise as there is much creativity where the various fights would incorporate magic and illusions in some capacity with a second act showdown in a house full of tricks being a big highlight due to how Fleischer plays with scale and movement. If you really enjoyed that sequence in the second film where Mark Ruffalo fights a bunch of goons in Macau using tricks and items you’d see in a magic show, there’s more of that here. This is where I can tell the film team probably had the most fun as far coming up with these different scenarios and Fleischer gets to show a bit more flair than he usually does, even shooting a very fun one take where we see our characters doing a magic off, demonstrating their skills to each other. It also is a treat to hear Brian Tyler’s score, which has always been one of my favorite parts of these movies. He manages to elevate scenes with this music that adds a level of grandness that may not always be there on the page and it succeeds in capturing the vibe of being in an actual magic show.
Going back to that one taker, I feel like that scene successfully encapsulates what works about these films and that it is getting to see great actors have fun in ridiculous scenarios. One can nit pick the plausibility of the magic tricks in these films (and yes it would be more interesting if they actually used more practical stuff instead of relying on CGI), but at the end of the day, the main selling point is getting to see these performers put on a good show. When it comes to the original Four Horseman, Jesse Eisenberg easily gets the most to do as Atlas and is his usual smart talking and egotistical self with a hidden heart of gold underneath the sarcastic exterior. Eisenberg is cast to type, but doesn’t phone it in and I appreciate the little signs of vulnerability he shows when expressing regret over past actions. He plays well off of the younger cast members who are a lot of fun. Dominic Sessa gets the showiest part as Bosco Leroy, an aspiring but struggling to get by actor, as he captures the same wit that Eisenberg has and delivers his lines with a sarcastic flair. Justice Smith is a lot quieter by comparison as the geek of the group, Charlie, and Smith plays that well, while even getting a chance to play against type near the end of the film. His character easily gets the most as far growth here as he learns to speak out and use his skills to become a valuable team player and it was nice to see. Ariana Greenblatt is also pretty good as June, though gets the least amount to do by default. In general I can’t say there was too much in the way of actual arcs for many of these characters, but all the same, I enjoyed seeing them together.
The rest of the original cast are always a welcome presence, though they aren’t given quite as prominent. I have always been very fond of Woody Harrelson as a performer and so seeing him the mentalism expert, Merritt is a lot of fun with Harrelson having a blast while also conveying the more world weary aspects of his character in a way that doesn’t feel tonally out of place. Dave Franco’s Jack and Isla Fisher’s Henley aren’t given too much to do beyond serve as mentors to the new cast but they are welcome appearances and it is nice to see Fisher back in this franchise after skipping out the second film due to pregnancy, which this film playfully alludes to. And for those who were fans of Lizzy Caplin’s Lula in the last one, well all I say is that film very much acknowledges her in a way that I found nice as I like it when movie series acknowledge previous entries rather than ignore them completely. Plus, while he understandably at an age where he can’t really do too much, it is a delight to see Morgan Freeman in a big movie, still showing that charisma that won’t go easily with age. Thaddeus has always been my favorite character in these movies and so getting to see him at a more relaxed stage in his life, aiding the Horsemen as an elder Statesman is pretty sweet and there’s one moment that involving him that hit hard on an emotional level. When it comes to our big bad, while it is tough to follow in the likes of Michael Caine and Daniel Radcliffe, Rosamund Pike (and her switch up of accents) is a great pick for a NYSM villain as she brings a level of camp that fits this movie and is very good at switching from confident businesswoman to someone who is desperate to get she wants at all cost. She’s even given a bit more depth regarding her backstory, making her into the probably the best developed villain of the series and more than just a selfish tech billionaire, while still being a VERY evil person.
In the end, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t delivers what one would expect from a Now You See Me movie and it does it all pretty well. It doesn’t really elevate itself beyond the quality bar set by the previous two as the substance is pretty standard, it repeats certain tropes, isn’t as visually cool, and character wise isn’t the deepest. However, it still manages to work as a fun time at the movies with a playful sense of humor, a quick pacing that had me hooked, some very creative action, and a bunch of talented actors having a great time. Franchise fans should find themselves entertained and I do think this was an improvement over the second film for me and is probably in par with the original as both do different things better than the other. Maybe this series isn’t as amazing as it could be with a premise like “magicians doing heists”, but it still provides certain pleasures that one really can’t get with other movie series and I’m glad there’s a star driven franchise like this that still exists. With a fourth film already in development, this seems to not be the last we see of the Horseman and you know what? If more is to come, I’m partial for that. Wonder what the next title will be though… Now You See Me: Now You Go? (the development team is probably more clever than me)
Rating: B
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